Aviation Festival Americas has been bringing the commercial airline and airport world together for 18 years, and it’s easy to see why it keeps drawing a crowd. This year’s event in Miami Beach pulled in more than 1,500 professionals from across North, Central, and South America — with 200+ speakers, six conference tracks, and executives from Delta, American, United, JetBlue, and major airports like JFK, MIA, and ORD.
Learn more from 2025 Envoy President’s Award winner and Manager, Digital Engagement and Partnerships, Jessica Stettler below.
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While Marketing and Communications are a core part of my role at Envoy, this was my first time attending the Aviation Festival. While I didn’t quite know what to expect walking in, I came away from this event with a greater understanding of what’s next for the ever-changing world of aviation.
Inside the Roundtable Sessions
One of the first sessions I joined was a roundtable discussion on internal communications and collaboration in aviation. The session was one of my favorite parts of the event.
Facilitated by a communications and engagement specialist from Workvivo, the event included an exercise where we each offered examples of things that break and build trust among different audiences within an aviation organization.
Sitting alongside professionals from across the aviation sector, it became clear how universal many of our challenges are. Whether you’re supporting a global airline or a regional operation, keeping distributed, operationally complex teams connected, engaged and aligned remains a constant challenge to overcome.
What I appreciated most about the roundtable format was how it transformed such a large conference into a much more personal experience. The smaller setting encouraged deeper conversations and genuine connections, allowing us to move beyond introductions and engage in thoughtful discussions – something that can be challenging for an event of that size!
Why Loyalty Is Going Beyond Miles
Later in the day, I attended a fireside chat with oneworld alliance Loyalty Director Gilbert Ott, who shared insights on why partnerships are becoming increasingly important within the loyalty ecosystem.
As airline loyalty programs continue to evolve, the session highlighted how customer expectations have shifted beyond earning and redeeming miles. Today’s travelers expect value across a broader range of experiences, making strategic partnerships more important than ever. Loyalty is no longer just a program or product, but an ecosystem built around collaboration, relevance and customer value.
The Future Of Aviation Marketing
One of the best panel discussions focused on storytelling and shaping the narrative. The event featured the Director of Brand and Marketing at oneworld, Maria McKinnon, United Airlines Director of Brand Marketing Operations, Julia Fedor and Pan American World Airways President and CEO, Ed Wegel.
The panel explored how established airline brands can remain relevant in a world where culture, technology and consumer expectations are evolving faster than ever. They examined the growing importance of brand storytelling, the impact of AI on aviation marketing and the unique differences between marketing strategies in the U.S. and Latin American markets.
One of the most memorable takeaways came from a simple but powerful piece of advice from Maria: “Be brave, creative, curious and look outside of marketing.”
For me, that captured the spirit of the entire conversation. The strongest brand ideas often come from outside the category, and the panelists encouraged marketers and communications professionals to seek inspiration from unexpected places.
Another recurring theme was the competitive shift happening across the aviation industry. Airlines are no longer competing solely on routes, schedules and pricing. As travel evolves, the opportunity lies in differentiation through emotional storytelling, brand purpose and experiences that create meaningful connections with customers. The challenge and opportunity is to give travelers a reason to choose your brand that extends beyond convenience or cost.
What Stood Out
As the conference came to a close, one message stood out above the rest: aviation is evolving rapidly, and the organizations that succeed will be those willing to adapt alongside it.
I left Miami with new ideas, valuable connections, new friends and an even greater appreciation for the innovation happening across our industry.